“The costs associated with ACA compliance could ultimately close our doors,” reads a sign posted in affected Gator’s restaurants. “Instead of raising prices on our products to generate the additional revenue needed to cover the costs of ACA compliance, certain Gator’s Dockside locations have implemented a 1% surcharge on all food and beverage purchases only.”

Now, lets just forget about the fact that a 1% surcharge IS “raising prices on … products to generate the additional revenue,” and get into the economics of the plan.

Sandra Clark, the director of operations for the restaurant told CNN she estimates the annual cost of compliance with Obamacare to run Gator’s about $500,000 a year and that the surcharge should shore up $160,000 of that gap.

The owners of Gator’s are doing the right thing from a business perspective in making adjustments to allow for an increase in the cost of doing business associated with Obamacare, but the surcharge smacks of politics.

“We wanted to definitely be transparent that affordable health care is part of the cost of doing business,” Clark told Florida’s News965.com.

But why the surcharge now? There are countless local, state and federal programs and taxes are contribute to the cost of doing business, those aren’t broken out on the bill. There’s no surcharge for the paving of public streets in Orlando.

Maybe there should be a line indicating the money you aren’t paying towards your order of wings because of Farm Bill subsidies. Don’t worry, you pay for that in April.

“We’re definitely doing it to stay afloat,” Clark told WPEC. “It’s not political in any way.”

Except that it is political, and that’s fine, just call it what it is.